Furnace



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. H. RICHARDS. FURNACE.

N0. 510,551. Patented Dec. 12, 18-93.

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WASHINGTON. n. o.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO EOKLEY B. COXE, OF DRIFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FU RNAC E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,551, dated December 12, 1893.

Application filed September 1, 1893. Serial No. 484.558. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be .it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS,

acitizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and pseful Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to traveling-grate furnaces; the object being to provide an improved traveling-grate and means for actuating the same in which the grate-bars or floorplates shall not be carried by chains or other connecting devices,and in which said plates may be removed and replaced independently of eachloth er.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view, partially in section, of a portion of a furnace embodying my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the furnace as seen from below in Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to the lower portion of Fig.1, but showing the grate-bars and the driving-wheels removed. Fig. 4 is a transthe parts at the right-hand of said line as seen from a point at the left-hand thereof. Fig. 5

is a vertical longitudinal section of one end of one of the grate-bars or floor-plates.

Similar characters designate like parts in all of the figures.

In the furnace shown in the drawings, the furnace-chamber 0, extends from the usual bridge-wall, 7, forwardly to the ignition-block or front-wall, B, is inclosed at the sides by the usual side-walls 2 and 4, and is covered by a roof or arch, A. Over the rearward portion of said chamber 0, is shown in Fig. 2, a portion of an ordinary steam-boiler, which may, of course, be replaced by any other thing to be heated.

At the forward end of the furnace-chamber a fuel-supply hopper, H, is placed for delivering the fuel over said ignition-block B, to the traveling grate.

The f urnace-floor consists of the upper run, 10, of a. traveling grate which is designated in a general way by G, and which is inclosed, together with the appliances for supporting and driving the same within the side-walls 2' and 4, andthe end-walls 3 and 5, these being verse section in line a-b-c Fig. 2 showing usually furnished with doors for access to the mechanism-chamber C.

The grate G is composed of a series of similar grate bars, 9, which in the present instance are not connected together for simultaneous operation, but are pushed along the one by the other,.being supported at the ends thereof by suitable means, as for instance, the rollers, 6, carried by studs, 8, fixed in the ends of said grate-bars,- whichrollers run in the channel or guide-way, 20, between the inner and outer tracks, 21 and 22, as will be understood by comparison of the several figures of the drawings. In order that said grate-bars may be more readily the one pushed by the other, these are shown formed'with bearing surfaces at 1.1, which stand between the axes of the forward and rearward rollers of the adjacent grate-bars, and are substantially concentric with said rollers so as to operate proper] y when the grate bars are passing around the curved ends of the tracks, as indicated at the left-hand in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of actuating the bars of the traveling grate, a pair of driving-wheels 12 and 12 is constructed to engage between the rollers of the grate-bars as indicated in I Fig. 2, and is carried by a shaft 13, supported in journals in the framework of the furnace, said shaft being provided on the projecting end thereof with a worm-Wheel, 40, meshing with a worm, 41, on a driving-shaft, 42, that is journaled in bearings, 43 and 43', on said framework, and is furnished with a pulley, 44, whereby the grate-mechanism maybe actuated by means of a belt, notshown. The shaft 13 is located concentrically with the curved forward end of the roller-tracks so that the grate-bars when taken by the teeth, 15, of the driving wheels 12 and 12' at the lower sides of said wheels are carried upward from the lower run to the upper run of the traveling grate in a positive manner, whereby the grate-bar in engagement with said wheel at the upper side thereof pushes forward the, next grate-bar and this the next one and so on through the whole series.

In order that the grate-bars on the upper run of the grate shall lie closely together, the

"upper sides of the tracks 21 and 22 are set inclined from the forward end rearwardly and upwardly as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. By this means some power is required not only to overcome the friction of the parts, but to lift the grate-bars against the action of gravity while the same are being forced rearwardly by the driving-wheels. In this way, the several grate-bars are kept close together in the form of a continuous furnace-floor, and without the aid of any separate connecting devices.

The rearward portion 22', of the outer track 22, is shown formed in a separate piece, pivoted to the side of the furnace structure at 23, and normally held in place by a pin or bolt, 24, on removing which said track-segment 22 may be swung out of place to form a space for removing the grate-bars and for replacing the same, which may be done at the rearward end of the furnace while this is in operation, since the movement of the furnacefloor is, in practice, very slow, usually not exceeding four or five feet per hour, while the floor-plates 9 are preferably not more than six to nine inches in width for furnaces of ordinary sizes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a furnace, the combination with a framework having tracks for the grate-beams, of a series of separate beams fitted to run upon said tracks and form a continuous furnace-floor, and driving-mechanism substantially as described, engaging and pushing the grate-beams, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

2. In a furnace, the combination with the furnace-chamber and its walls, of furnacefloor tracks, a furnace-floor running upon said tracks and consisting of independent fioor plates substantially as described located side by side as set forth, and a plate-pushing driving mechanism in engagement with said floorplates at one end of the furnace-chamber, and means for actuating said mechanism to push said plates toward the other end of said chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a furnace, the combination with the furnace-chamber and its walls, of furnacefloor tracks forming a circuit having upper and lower runs and set inclined, the furnacefioor carried by said tracks and consisting of separate floor-plates, and driving-wheels engaging said plates at the lower end of said track and adapted to engage and push the floor-plates toward the upper end of the track, substantially as described.

4. In a furnace, the combination with the furnace-floor tracks forming a circuit and having a track-portion removably fixed in place, of a traveling furnace-floor comprising separate floor-plates adapted to travel on said tracks for removal and insertion through the space occupied by said track-portion, whereby the fioor-plates may be removed and replaced, substantially as set forth.

5. In a furnace, in combination with a framework, of the tracks 21 and 22 having between them the guide-way 20, of the floorbeams 9, each having studs or rollers running in said guide-way, and means for moving the floor-plates along the guide-way, substantially as described.

FRANCIS I-I. RICHARDS. Witnesses:

JOHN L. EDWARDS, J12, FRED. J. DOLE. 

